Two Ducati Riders Hospitalized During Test

Team SBK Ducati Alstare completed a two-day test at Phillip Island in preparation for the opening round of the World Superbike Championship. Ironically, both of the teams riders ended up in the hospital.

Prior to the start of the test, Carlos Checa was taken to the hospital with stomach pain and nausea. He was treated for a blocked intestine.

Rider Ayrton Badovini took over the brunt of the work load in testing the teams two bikes. However the test ended after Badovini went off course at turn nine on the second day. He was taken to the hospital to check for a possible broken rib, but tests revealed no serious injuries.

“For me, this is the first real test for the team as a whole, that is all the mechanics working together, and although the bike is new and very different to any previous Ducati, I am very happy with how this project is going,” said team owner Francis Batta. “It is a complex project, but a beautiful one and we’re all really looking forward to making it work as well as we can. It is unfortunate that Carlos couldn’t ride at all. He suffered some sort of stomach problem the day after he arrived in Australia.

“Possibly it was something to do with jet lag, the air-conditioning on the plane and the change of temperature. He went to hospital, but there are no big problems and we expect him to be back for the tests next week and then the race afterwards. Ayrton made a good start. He took things steadily, but used his head and kept improving. He gave the team a lot of information, so it was a shame that he crashed and couldn’t ride for the rest of the day.”